The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 placed a
moratorium on the immigration of Chinese laborers
to the United States. This legislation served as
both the culmination of racial intolerance that
had been building since the 1850's and a grim
foreshadowing of similar exclusions of Asian
Indians (1917), Japanese (1924), and Filipinos (1934)
looming on America's political horizon.

Finally repealed by the Magnuson Act of 1943 (which also
established quotas for Chinese immigrants and made them
eligible for citizenship), the Exclusion Act and the events
that precipitated it reflect one facet of American life that
is often overlooked in an attempt to understand the nation in
the midst of industrialization.

This web site is designed to shed light on otherwise ignored
elements of Chinese life in Nineteenth Century America, including:
reasons for emigration to California (California
Dreaming), myths surrounding the indentured servant (i.e. "coolie")
after the Civil War (Coolie Fiction), organizations
designed to assist Chinese laborers in California (Helping
Hands), tensions between white and Chinese workers (Labor
Pains), political posturing that allowed the Exclusion Act to become law
(Racial Politics), and a collection of articles and
suggested sources for further study (Read All About
It).